The private psychology centre Psykologvagten is offering its services for free for three hours a day over the next six months to help those with limited means, such as students and jobseekers, Metroxpress reports.

The centre will offer telephone consultations where callers will have the chance to talk to either a psychologist or a psychology student.

Søren Hvilsom, the head of Psykologvagten in Copenhagen, told the newspaper that it was hoped the service would be able to facilitate the first step of addressing people’s problems. “We find there are many people who turn to us to find out if they need a psychologist,” he said.

“That’s the conversation we now want to make free to help people.”

Showing a way forward
Connie Ploug, the head psychologist at Psykologvagten, told the newspaper that in many cases the next step wouldn’t necessarily be to see a psychologist. “The focus is on clarifying how the caller’s situation looks, what possibilities there are and who else should be contacted to get help,” she said.

“The aim is to show the caller a way forward in the process of recovery.”

The service can be accessed by calling 5177 3338 between 10am and 1pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and between 3 and 5pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays.